TESL/TEFL

Sometimes we need to look backwards in order to look forward. Th at is to say, in order to understand the world of science today and where it may be heading tomorrow, it helps to know where it has been in the past. How did we come to our present understanding of atoms, energy, gravity and light? What are the fundamental principles through which we investigate the world around us? Who are the great scientifi c fi gures who helped us to fi nd our place in the universe? Th is book aims to answer these questions, guiding students from the past to the present and from the present to the future.

While the role of culture in second and/or foreign language (L2/FL) learning and teaching has often been unquestioned, empirical research on culture learning and teaching in L2/FL education has been less common than opinion-oriented writings in relevant journals. This article offers a summary and synthesis of 52 empirical studies on L2/FL culture learning and teaching published during the 20-year period 1996-2015. In doing so, it first provides some background, then discusses the methods used for choosing, summarizing, and briefly analyzing these studies, and finally outlines a range of quantitative and qualitative findings. Culture learning and teaching research in L2/FL education during this period involved five main languages (English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish) in 19 different countries; adopted mainly qualitative research approaches; and addressed a diverse range of age and educational levels, although postsecondary research studies were most common. The survey here highlights a shift from a focus on ‘culture’ to the ‘intercultural,’ and reveals that culture learning and teaching research has moved beyond reporting teachers’ and students’ attitudes to a range of topics impacting L2/FL learning and teaching, including instructional approaches, teaching materials, assessment, and technology. It also points to connections between the studies outlined and offers possibilities and directions for future research in this important area.

Modal expressions allow us to talk and think about states of affairs which are not present in the current situation and may never occur in the natural world. They can be used to convey different meanings and attitudes in given situations. Their multiplicity of meaning reliant on context and pragmatic mechanisms, has prompted the development of several different approaches including lexical ambiguity, polysemy, monosemy and root-based explanations of meaning. Modals that have been listed as representing one or two meanings in pedagogical grammars, can actually cater for an extensive spectrum of potential meanings in context. For example, must has little if anything to do with obligation in They must be at work now, or Must you make so much noise? Don't you know it's annoying? ! 1

The need to address culture in the language learning process has been emphasized as a means to promote both intercultural awareness and communicative language curricula. In countries such as Turkey, this has been an ongoing concern in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) education. Thus, attempts have been made to enhance the cultural aspect of EFL learning in Turkey with the current English language curricula for elementary and high schools. To determine whether these curricula truly address culture in ways that support intercultural awareness, the researcher conducted a content analysis of the learning outcomes and objectives for each grade level, focusing on the curricula developed in 2013 and 2014 respectively for elementary and high school, as well as the program updates introduced in 2017 and 2018. The culture-related objectives and outcomes including products, practices, perspectives and persons relating to native Englishspeaking and international cultures were identified, and the total numbers of culture-oriented outcomes and objectives were recorded and analyzed. The findings indicate that culture-related outcomes and objectives were highly limited in number; and they mainly addressed superficial aspects of culture such as names of countries/languages, foods and traditional costumes. Abstract and complex topics such as pragmatics, beliefs, and worldviews were largely ignored. Moreover, while the updated programs of 2017 and 2018 were intended to improve on the 2013 and 2014 versions, little was accomplished in this regard. As such, the findings suggest that current EFL curricula are unlikely to support the development of intercultural awareness in language learners. Some recommendations for addressing this issue are offered.

As I mostly teacher low-level classes conducted usually entirely in L2, sometimes the issuing of instructions can be protracted and problematical. I would like to become more aware about this aspect of teaching and learn how to give instructions to my low-level learners more effectively.

Public Speaking is a main subject in the English Departments to be mastered by EFL learners. However, its supporting materials are insufficient and causing problems for the learners in mastering the skills. Therefore, education administrators need to develop and design the relevant curriculum. This study is a Research and Development beginning with information collection consisting of identifying the problem, choosing the means of solving the problem, theoretical study, selecting and assembling materials consisting of technique, the processing teaching and learning, scriptwriting consisting of material development, experts validation to get feedback, revising of material revision based on experts’ verification, evaluation consisting of trial, revision and finishing. This paper explains the development of public speaking materials based on communicative language teaching as a solution to the problems faced by the learners. The results of the study are supplementary materials consisting of five chapters which help the improvement the learners’ public speaking skills.

Language is used for various purposes and has many functions. Every language has a different structure and rules. The most common mistakes that make mistakes in writing are in the process of learning a foreign language. Students cannot avoid making mistakes when learning a foreign language. Students do not knowingly make mistakes because they do not know which structure is correct. The purpose of this study are (1) To find out the students' mistakes from English noun phrases using modifiers in writing English texts made by eleventh grade students? (2) To find out students' mistakes from English noun phrases using the initial modifier in writing English texts made by eleventh grade students ?. This study uses the theory of Huddleston et al (2002) which consists of Dangling Modifier, Misplaced modifier and Squinting modifier because this theory aims to analyze student errors in the use of noun phrases. This study uses descriptive quantitative methods to determine errors in the use of modifiers and pre-modifiers in noun phrases. The type of sample used in this study is purposive sampling, based on the type of sampling the researcher chose class XI IPA as the object of this study. In this study, researchers used a writing test, researchers gave words that were randomized and then directed students to arrange these words into correct sentences. This writing test is used to answer questions about analysis errors in the noun phrase.

Online education can play a crucial role in increasing access to educational opportunity and in promoting lifelong learning. The Covid-19 pandemic has done even more to raise awareness of the importance of online education. The pandemic has been a Category 5 disruptor of education systems. This article was written to help teachers at all levels of education facilitate cooperation among their students as a key element of online education. While many teachers believe in the benefits of student-student cooperation, and theory and research support this view, many teachers worry that distance learning is already difficult enough without adding the complications of cooperative learning, no matter how beneficial it might be. The article begins by discussing some of the obstacles teachers may encounter as they seek to integrate cooperative learning as part of online education. The main part of the article presents nine lesson plans for language education via cooperative learning in online e...

Learner motivation is considered a vital factor in second language instruction. An analysis of motivation types and degrees can reveal learners’ expectations and learning objectives. The present study analyzes the motivational patterns of a group of English for academic and professional purposes (EAPP) learners while focusing on types and degrees of motivation. The sample comprised 37 participants who were students in the EAPP program at a graduate school in California. The types of motivation were classified as intrinsic, extrinsic, or both, and the degrees of motivation were determined as low, medium, or high. The participants rated statements related to motivation type and degree on two Likert-type scales in a self-report questionnaire. The study reveals that most of the students had both types of motivation and their motivation degree was at a medium level according to the measurement scale. The results can help course instructors and administrators make informed decisions and choices in planning and revising the curriculum.

This session presents research conducted in a Grade 5 English as a Second language This session presents research conducted in a Grade 5 English as a Second language classroom in Malaysia where despite the English-only policy, students translanguage classroom in Malaysia where despite the English-only policy, students translanguage during collaborative learning through the use of Tamil, Malay and English. Guided by the during collaborative learning through the use of Tamil, Malay and English. Guided by the theoretical framework of translanguaging, the study aims to answer this overarching theoretical framework of translanguaging, the study aims to answer this overarching question: What role does translanguaging play in supporting the learning of multilingual question: What role does translanguaging play in supporting the learning of multilingual English language learners during collaborative learning? A thematic and discourse English language learners during collaborative learning? A thematic and discourse analysis of interviews with students and recordings of their collaborative interactions analysis of interviews with students and recordings of their collaborative interactions suggest that translanguaging plays an important role in collaborative language learning suggest that translanguaging plays an important role in collaborative language learning by helping students identify gaps in their knowledge, take ownership of their learning, by helping students identify gaps in their knowledge, take ownership of their learning, engage in higher-order thinking, build rapport, maintain their cultural identity, and resist engage in higher-order thinking, build rapport, maintain their cultural identity, and resist monolingual ideologies. monolingual ideologies.

The lesson featured in this magazine article gives students the opportunity to watch a “claymation” video of an invention and then to create a unique invention in small groups. Students then develop a poster presentation and deliver it in front of their peers.

This article considers research into special educational needs (SEN) and technology, focusing on how technology may be able assist SEN students learning English. The term 'special education' accommodates a very wide range of needs, from learners with mild dyslexia or mild intellectual disability, through to severe learning difficulties and autism. It includes learners with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), visual or hearing impairments, and mobility issues, restricted movement and motor-skills challenges. Clearly, SEN learners can have very different needs and require differing levels of support with learning.

Abstract This study uses a novel approach to describe modern English academic texts in terms of the amount and distribution of syntactic subordination, coordination and phrasal structures. Inconsistent results have been reported in previous scholarship regarding the trajectory of syntactic complexification based on English language backgrounds and linguistic proficiency of writers. For the first time, a combination of two predictive statistical modelling methods of mixed-effects modelling and supervised machine learning modelling with random forest is used to examine the extent to which the type, amount, and distribution of these syntactic structures can be attributed to a text-intrinsic feature (sub-genres or rhetorical sections of academic register) and a text-extrinsic factor (English language background based on academic context) in a corpus of master’s dissertations. To revisit the theories of English L1 vs. L2 texts, strong predictors of syntactic complexity across academic writings of EFL, ESL, and English L1 postgraduate students were identified. The findings show that EFL texts are dominantly subordinate in nature, English L1’s dominantly phrasal, and the ESL dissertations exhibited similar amounts of subordination and phrasal structures. Distinct syntactic structures also characterise rhetorical sections: abstracts are predominantly phrasal, literature reviews distinctly subordinate, and conclusion sections have noticeable amounts of verb phrases.

Topic Selection: A Motivational Variable in ELT. By Mohamed Ismail Abu-Rahmah & Jhon Burgess.The Researcher, School of Education, Manchester University, I (2), 12- 28 (1996).  (Abstract):

Topic selection is considered a crucial variable for contextualizing language content. This paper considers the motivational features of the topics used to provide a context for language content and the sources from which these topics are selected. Towards this end, four models to do with topical or thematical content are discussed and their pedagogical advantages/disadvantages are highlighted.  Then,  they are categorized into two main types/sources. Finally, some features of a mid-way motivational model are proposed.

Keywords: ELT topics; contextualizing content; motivational variables; thematical content.

The research aimed to discover what strategies learners employed in using dictionaries and examine the EFL learners' perspectives in using dictionaries to learn English. Dictionaries were considered meaningful by EFL learners as they were central devices that assisted learning second-language vocabulary. However, not many researchers have investigated the use of these three dictionary strategies in the English for Foreign Language (EFL) context, especially in Indonesia. The data was collected using dictionary strategy questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. One hundred forty-eight students from an Indonesian higher education institution completed a questionnaire survey voluntarily, and then they were selected as samples regarding purposive sampling that typically represented the population. The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first asked for participants' personal information and provided several statements from Gu and Johnson about dictionary strategies. The second solicited their opinion about using a dictionary, translated in the Indonesian language. The results show that Indonesian students are aware of how to use dictionaries for comprehension, extended, looking-up strategies, and exploring their beliefs about applying dictionary strategies. These results can help language teachers have a deeper perspective on students' dictionary strategies in learning so that educators can use those three main dictionary strategies. One such strategy is that teachers can introduce the approaches to their students either implicitly or explicitly by designing meaningful assignments and providing relevant activities and tasks for the students. Therefore, deciding to use a dictionary to overcome the issue is one of the best ways to deal with vocabulary acquisition as it offers more benefits.

Hubbard (2007) noted that contemporary language teachers not only need to have competent theoretical knowledge and social power, but they must also be responsible for the maintenance and growth of their technological proficiency. In this article, I report on my summer holiday professional development experience becoming a certified Google Educator. Soon after I started this journey, I discovered that a Google Educator’s training
does not simply amount to a lesson on search strategies or using Gmail; Google offers a range of powerful, free educational tools or apps that teachers can take advantage of in their language classrooms. Google Forms (see Milliner & Flowers, 2015), Google
Sheets, Google Docs (see Firth & Mesureur, 2010; Suwantarathip & Wichadee, 2014), Google Sites, Google Maps (see McMillan, 2013), YouTube, Google Draw, and Google Hangouts are all examples of the great tools available (see Figure 1). As I began training on how to effectively use each one of these tools, I quickly realized that I needed to become more than competent at using each one should I want to pass the Google Educators’ test and become an accredited Google Educator.

English language teaching (ELT) at rural schools may pose challenges like insufficient resources and a lack of students' interest. Integrating real-life-based and learner-centred methods like project-based learning (PBL) into rural English classes may help improve the quality of ELT in such contexts, yet the issue still remains underexplored. This case study aims to devise a PBL model for the English classes at a rural school and investigate the effects of PBL on the development of linguistic and non-linguistic competencies as well as the benefits and challenges of the process along with suggested solutions. The data were collected through closed-and open-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and students' productions. According to the results, PBL was seen to affect students' progress in multidimensional ways. The data suggest that thanks to PBL, the students' interest and confidence in using English increased, and their English language proficiency improved. Besides, the students were found to have developed their real-life related skills like time management, creativity, autonomous decision-making, oral presentation, and computer use. However, PBL was also defined to be a challenging process requiring full devotion and a heavy workload. This study indicates PBL can be an effective means to improve the quality of ELT in rural education.

With a high-quality, user-friendly interface that is both easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing, Busuu delivers, but the reason to choose Busuu over others would be to purchase the premium version for the social networking aspects. Even as a native speaker of English, I was able to learn about dialectal differences. Interactions with native speakers of the target language is both interesting and motivating. This is one of the better apps on the market, but at $9.99 when paid per month, it might be a bit expensive for the casual language learner.

CITATION / REFERENCE - Ab Manan, N. A., Zamari, Z. M., Pillay, I. A. S., Adnan, A. H. M., Yusof, J., & Raslee, N. N. (2017). Mother Tongue Interference in the Writing of English as a Second Language (ESL) Malay Learners. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 7(11), 1294-1301. https://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i11/3566 ABSTRACT - The objective of this study is to identify the errors in writing committed by Malay ESL learners which can be attributed to mother tongue interference. Twenty pre-degree quantity surveyor students from Universiti Teknologi MARA Perak campus participated in the study. They were instructed to write between 200-to 300-word essays on a given topic in English and in Malay. Their compositions were analyzed using the algorithm for conducting error analysis (EA) proposed by James (1998) which are practiced by current EA practitioners. Since the main focus of the study is mother tongue interference, only errors related to L1 ...

Crossing boundaries is a key issue in EFL teaching and Postcolonial Studies. It is an objective not only for the foreign language classroom that is facing increasingly global influences in terms of more heterogeneous societies, but also with a view to the growing heterogeneity in the literature, media and materials used in teaching and research. Because the intersections between Postcolonial Studies and TEFL are not only manifold but also highly significant, this volume brings together papers that explore, perform and theorize various kinds of crossovers, be they disciplinary, thematic or intermedial ones.

Christiane Lütge holds the Chair for Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at the University of Munich. Her research interests include media literacy, literature in the EFL classroom, inter- and transcultural learning, global education and foreign language teacher education.

Mark Stein is Chair of English, Postcolonial and Media Studies at WWU Münster. His areas of research include Afroeuropean studies, diasporic formations, porosity, ransnationalism and translocation, black and Asian British cultural production, and postcolonial literatures.

In this study, we examine the fundamental difference hypothesis in language motivation, which suggests that language learning—at the motivational level—is qualitatively different from learning other school subjects. Despite being a long-standing assumption, few investigations have directly examined it. Using a comparative cross-sectional approach, we adapted the L2 Motivational Self System and collected data from South Korean high school students ( N = 644) related to their motivation to learn English (L2), Chinese (L3), and mathematics (a nonlanguage subject). Contrary to the fundamental difference hypothesis, the L2 Motivational Self System fit these three subjects well and did not reveal clear uniqueness pointing toward a qualitative difference in favor of language learning motivation. We use these findings to discuss the possibility of a more global and parsimonious learning motivation theory to accommodate multiple languages in addition to nonlanguage subjects. We also discuss ...

This was the authors undergraduate dissertation to the University of Central Lancashire and was submitted in 2017.

The vast majority of studies into video games in language-learning settings have focused on games designed for entertainment being adapted in a similar way to other authentic materials rather than games with an explicit goal of teaching language, those that have usually use smartphone apps or in-browser games.  This study uses a commercially available language learning game called Influent, as a metric for future study into video games designed with language learning.

The study asks two core research questions:
1. How effective is Influent at enabling learners to identify and retain English vocabulary?
2. Do the controls and mechanics of Influent facilitate an easy digital learning environment?

The research project involved eight Japanese learners taking a vocabulary test of ten nouns, and then finding said nouns within Influent, and finally taking the quiz one last time to assess our research questions. Quantitative and qualitative data was taken during the sessions, mostly drawn from the pre and post-game vocabulary tests and observations of the participants during their time playing the game. The study establishes that Influent does bolster vocabulary acquisition, and retention for at least a short-term period. In terms of Influent’s interface and mechanics, participants generally found the controls easy to grasp and play game but suffers from some issues with contextual clues and graphic design.

The present research investigated listening strategy utilization among 60 Iranian EFL senior high school learners. Furthermore, it tried to distinguish 1) the strategies utilized all the more frequently by learners, 2) the relationship between listening strategy utilization, and listening comprehension problems. In this study, problems included input, context, listener, process, affect, and task problems while the listening strategies comprised of cognitive, meta-cognitive, and socio-affective strategies. To gather the required information, a survey was dispersed among the members. After collecting the information and analyzing them through SPSS software, the outcomes uncovered that 'input' and 'affect' were two primary listening comprehension problems the students experienced. Results additionally showed that the principle listening strategy utilized by students was meta-cognitive strategy. The connection between listening problems and technique utilized among the students was measurably critical and negative. Results suggest that it is essential for second language educators to know about the distinctive listening problems to empower listeners to use the suitable techniques.

Translanguaging has been largely implemented in bilingual classrooms, but there is a paucity of research investigating this approach in classrooms where more than two languages co-exist. Moreover, it is still unclear what particular dimensions of language learning are positively affected by translanguaging. This chapter reports results from a mixed methods study examining whether translanguaging has positive effects on academic vocabulary compared to a traditional monolingual approach. Seven English for Academic Purposes teachers used two different approaches with their students (n = 129): translanguaging to a treatment group and English-only to a comparison group. Data from students' vocabulary tests, classroom observations, and learner diaries were analyzed and compared for convergence. Results show that students in the translanguaging group had significant higher scores in academic vocabulary at the end of the program compared to students in the monolingual group. Results also show that students in the translanguaging group engaged in meaning-making across languages and took an active role in language learning, suggesting that translanguaging may provide engagement in vocabulary learning in ways which monolingual practices may not. Implications for TESOL education in multilingual settings are discussed.

This paper reviews and discusses research on notetaking during academic listening conducted in both first (L1) and second language (L2) contexts and is organized into two main categories: research that is beginning to impact English for academic purposes (EAP) classrooms and that which has yet to make an impact on EAP, but should. Overall, I assert that, while some relevant research on notetaking is reaching EAP classrooms, there is an abundance of knowledge from L1 contexts as well as a number of unexplored areas that have potential to improve instruction and student ability. Throughout the paper, I hypothesize why certain research findings are not being applied in classrooms. In concluding, I provide suggestions for how researchers and teachers might further support colleagues in applying research findings.

The second TEFL Day "Drama in Foreign Language Teaching" offered EFL researchers, teachers and students the opportunity to engage with various aspects of drama – both as a literary genre as well as an action-oriented teaching approach. The programme included impulse lectures as well as a range of workshops coverings topics such as

    Shakespeare in the English language classroom
    Drama activities with diverse learner groups
    Performative vocal training
    Drama and modern media
    Discovering new playwrights
    Drama and gender

Abstract
The proposed model consists of four components: language input, guiding notes, matching visuals, and written output. Applying the proposed model, the students are provided with somebody of written or spoken information (i.e. input) and are helped through carrying out some comprehension tasks to produce a summary version of the original input text in the form of guiding notes. These notes are used to practice​ speaking. Then the students are provided with visuals matching the informational and linguistic elements in the input. With these visuals, they can discover the meaning of any new language items, reconfirm the meaning of what they have encountered previously, and finally produce written outputs.

At the heart of this study is the fostering of learner autonomy in the language classroom, in particular how learner autonomy can be developed through pedagogical tasks. The work focuses on four different approaches: the classroom-related, the resource-related and the technology-related. The book combines classroom theory, research and practice, all of which are immersed in the philosophy of social constructivism, whereby knowledge and learning are seen as both the context for and the result of human interaction. "This is the book everyone in the field has been waiting for. It is the product of excellent classroom research. . . highly engaging, relevant, readable, and above all, practical in its handling of the issues." Prof. John McRae, University of Nottingham, Uk. "This book is a perfect combination of theoretical and practical proposals that make it possible to implement and foster learner autonomy in the Efl/Esl classroom." Prof. Wolfgang Hallet, Justus Liebig University, Giessen, Germany

Heterogeneity is highly regarded in today’s modern societies, boastful about the defence of every people’s rights. However, the story might be a little bit different inside the classroom for students and teachers alike. How do teachers feel about mixed ability classes when the gap is too large to cover? How is a student affected  when a peer slows down his own pace of learning? And how do slow achievers feel in a class when they are always the ones who require the teacher’s extra help and attention? This research study investigates if ability grouping can be considered a major tool to improve achievement in foreign language learning, as compared to mixed ability grouping, and why. A final goal would be to add to the discussion and reflection about why the debate on mixed ability classes has long ago won the battle against ability grouping, and if traditional answers should not be revised at the light of new and changing circumstances that affect the inner society of a classroom. I hope this study helps to further examine how to close the gap between higher and lower achievers among English language learners, in favour of fairer and more equalitarian opportunities for them all.

Although English for Tourism (EfT) is an acknowledged branch of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in both research and pedagogy, a clear definition of EfT and a clear methodological framework for EfT research seems to be lacking in the literature. This presentation will report the preliminary results of an exploratory study in progress that seeks to answer the deceptively “simple” question: “What is English for Tourism?”. More specifically, a representative (but not yet comprehensive) sample of all English for Tourism literature available on Google Books and Google Scholar, including both teaching material and academic literature, has been analyzed and coded in accordance with the methods of grounded theory. The preliminary results offer insights into the semantic, conceptual, theoretical, and methodological differences between the interdependent yet distinct perspectives of “English for Tourism” (EoT) and EfT, from which a working model of EfT is emerging. The results also reveal national tendencies toward either EfT or EoT and thereby expose particular gaps in the existing body of research.

The purpose of the current research was to develop the students'
English Language Skills at the Faculty of Commerce. The target
English Language skills were: Listening, Speaking, Reading and
Writing. The treatment tool was a Blended Learning-Based Business
English Program. Four measurement tools were developed and
validated. They were: 1) Listening Test (for measuring the students'
Listening Skill), 2) Speaking test (for measuring the students'
Speaking Skill), 3) Reading Test (for measuring the students'
Reading Skill), and 4) Writing test (for measuring the students'
Writing Skill). Subjects were a group of 26 1st year students enrolled
in the English Department at Ismailia Faculty of Commerce. The
design of the study was one group pre-and-post test experimental
design. The designed program was presented by using the
Computer-assisted Language Instruction followed by classroom
discussions to provide the students with feedback regarding their
responses in the speaking and writing sections. Results of the study
revealed that the developed Blended Learning-Based Business
English program had a significant positive effect on developing the
1st year students' English Language Skills at the Faculty of
Commerce.

Περίληψη Σημαντική θέση στην καθημερινή επικοινωνία καταλαμβάνει η διαγλωσσική διαμεσολάβηση (cross-language mediation) –μια λειτουργία που απαιτεί την παράλληλη χρήση δύο ή περισσοτέρων γλωσσών, η επιτυχία της οποίας εξασφαλίζει την αποτελεσματική συμμετοχή των ομιλητών στις νέες πολυπολιτισμικές κοινωνίες. Στον χώρο της διδακτικής των ξένων γλωσσών ο όρος διαμεσολάβηση εισήχθη το 2001, όταν το Κοινό Ευρωπαϊκό Πλαίσιο Αναφοράς για τις Γλώσσες (ΚΕΠΑ) (Συμβούλιο Ευρώπης, 2001) την συμπεριέλαβε μεταξύ των τεσσάρων βασικών επικοινωνιακών δραστηριοτήτων για τη διδασκαλία, μάθηση και αξιολόγηση της γλωσσομάθειας (μεταξύ δηλαδή των: κατανόησης, παραγωγής λόγου και διάδρασης). Ο ρόλος του διαμεσολαβητή, όπως εξηγείται στο συγκεκριμένο άρθρο, είναι να μεταφέρει πληροφορίες και μηνύματα από την μια γλώσσα στην άλλη λειτουργώντας ως "ενδιάμεσος" σε μια περίσταση επικοινωνίας, και εξηγώντας μηνύματα που άλλοι συνομιλητές δεν μπορούν να κατανοήσουν γιατί δεν γνωρίζουν τη γλώσσα που χρησιμοποιείται (Stathopoulou, 2015; Dendrinos, 2006). Στρατηγικές τις οποίες θα πρέπει να μπορεί να αξιοποιήσει ο μαθητής της ξένης γλώσσας για να διαμεσολαβήσει (mediation strategies) αποτελούν στόχο του Ενιαίου Προγράμματος Σπουδών για τις Ξένες Γλώσσες (ΕΠΣ-ΞΓ) που, μεταξύ άλλων, επιδιώκει την ανάπτυξη δεξιοτήτων παράλληλης χρήσης της Ελληνικής και της ξένης γλώσσας και αποτελεσματικής λειτουργίας του μαθητή ως διαμεσολαβητή. Το καινοτόμο αυτό πρόγραμμα, που αναπτύχθηκε κατά την περίοδο 2010-2011 και εφαρμόστηκε πιλοτικά σε ορισμένα σχολεία της χώρας, εισάγει για πρώτη φορά στην διδασκαλία ξένων γλωσσών, την έννοια της διαμεσολάβησης, τονίζει την σημασία της και προτείνει δείκτες (περιγραφητές) διαμεσολαβητικής χρήσης της γλώσσας (can-do statements), οι οποίοι αποτελούν «οδηγό» για το είδος των δραστηριοτήτων στις οποίες θα πρέπει να ασκηθεί ο μαθητής κάθε επιπέδου γλωσσομάθειας. Δεδομένης της σημασίας που δίνει το ΕΠΣ-ΞΓ στην ανάπτυξη της ικανότητας των μαθητών να λειτουργούν ως διαμεσολαβητές, το συγκεκριμένο άρθρο ορίζει την έννοια της διαμεσολάβησης μεταξύ γλωσσών, εξηγεί πώς χρησιμοποιείται στο ΕΠΣ-ΞΓ και προτείνει τρόπους αξιοποίησης των νέων περιγραφητών στην ξενόγλωσση τάξη με σκοπό την ενίσχυση της διαγλωσσικής επάρκειας των μαθητών. Λέξεις-κλειδιά: ξενόγλωσση εκπαίδευση, διαγλωσσική διαμεσολάβηση, δείκτες διαμεσολάβησης 1. Εισαγωγή Σε καθημερινές περιστάσεις επικοινωνίας, πολίτες των σύγχρονων πολυγλωσσικών και πολυπολιτισμικών κοινωνιών είναι πολύ πιθανό να κληθούν να επικοινωνήσουν διαγλωσσικά (Stathopoulou, 2016; Dendrinos, 2006; Shohamy, 2006), να λειτουργήσουν δηλαδή αποτελεσματικά σε επικοινωνιακές περιστάσεις που απαιτούν παράλληλη χρήση δύο ή περισσοτέρων γλωσσών. Γίνεται ολοένα και πιο σύνηθες το φαινόμενο ομιλητές μιας γλώσσας να χρησιμοποιήσουν τις γνώσεις που έχουν αποκτήσει και τις επικοινωνιακές δεξιότητες που έχουν αναπτύξει ώστε να λειτουργήσουν «διαμεσολαβητικά», να αναλάβουν δηλαδή, τον ρόλο του διαμεσολαβητή και να χρησιμοποιήσουν ταυτόχρονα περισσότερους από έναν κώδικες επικοινωνίας για συγκεκριμένους κοινωνικούς σκοπούς και ανάγκες. Δεδομένης της σημασίας που δίνει το Ενιαίο Πρόγραμμα Σπουδών για τις Ξένες Γλώσσες (ΕΠΣ-ΞΓ) στην ανάπτυξη της ικανότητας των μαθητών να μεταφέρουν πληροφορίες από τη μια γλώσσα στην άλλη αναλαμβάνοντας έτσι το ρόλο του διαμεσολαβητή, το συγκεκριμένο

Increasingly, university students around the world are demanding courses that target vocational skills. This paper outlines the design of an advanced business English skills (ABES) course which aims to introduce students at a private Japanese university to essential English communication skills typically used in a corporate environment. Initially, the authors provide a brief overview of the nature of 'business English' and locate this within a Japanese context. Elements of the ABES course include teaching how to make effective presentations, how to make persuasive proposals, how to pitch ideas, and how to start a business. Finally, the authors provide some keys for educators who wish to design similar courses.

—Vocabulary is a key element of students' understanding and communicative ability in any language. However Saudi students of English are observed to face many difficulties with vocabulary, which have been attributed to the widespread use of traditional methods focusing on memorization and rote learning. Role-play potentially offers an enjoyable way to encourage students to use vocabulary appropriately in simulated authentic situations. In a quasi-experimental study in a girls' secondary school in Al-Madinah, pre and post-test comparisons were made of vocabulary test achievement between two first year classes. One (experimented) taught two units of their English course book through role play, the other (control) taught by traditional methods. T –test revealed no significant difference in vocabulary proficiency in the pre-test; however, in the post-test, the mean score of the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control. The evidence supports the beneficial effect of incorporating role-play in EFL teaching.

It is widely believed that critical thinking in language teaching and learning is more closely connected to adult learners to foster their speaking and writing skills so many readily available teaching materials are designed for the same purpose. However, as thinking needs to be developed throughout one’s life, teaching methods that pay more attention to thinking skills can be undoubtedly beneficial to learners even at a very young age (Puchta, 2012). Besides, of all subjects, critical thinking, as well as other high-order thinking skills (HOTs) in young learners, are still under little investigation since it requires a lot of effort, especially from teachers (Mathews & Lowe, 2011). Storytelling is a popular technique to encourage students’ thinking skills as “storytelling can teach by imparting truths but storytelling can also teach by inviting people to think for themselves and to create their own truths” (Hobart & Colleges, 2015, p. 3) and this process facilitates what is called critical thinking. Although it is being widely used in many young learner classrooms, most of the activities are traditional ones such as using picture books or role-playing. This paper will examine a transformed form of storytelling – interactive classroom activities, which have not been studied before.